ebay bidding question

[roscoe]

I've been doing ebay for over 10 years, and thought I knew the way it all worked.

Tonight, I checked in on an item that I have been watching, and found something unusual in the bidding.

Bid was up to 3,000, and the bid increment was $50.

I checked the bid history, just because. Kind of curious who had bid the item up that far, cause I sure wouldn't have.

What I found was a high bid of $3000.
Second highest bid was $2700.

How the heck did that happen on a $50 increment?

Here is the bid history.




5***2( 70) US $3,000.00
Feb-15-12 16:35:27 PST

6***t( 438) US $2,700.00
Feb-15-12 10:57:22 PST

o***u( 0 ) US $2,550.00
Feb-15-12 14:22:39 PST

6***t( 438) US $2,500.00
Feb-15-12 07:24:40 PST

i***a( 187) US $2,475.00
Feb-15-12 08:51:08 PST

i***a( 187) US $2,350.00
Feb-15-12 08:50:31 PST

6***t( 438) US $2,300.00
Feb-14-12 06:58:13 PST




Can you explain this one to me?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: ebay bidding question

Are you saying that the ending value of the auction was 3000? or was it $2750?

maybe post a link to the completed listing

 

[roscoe]

Re: ebay bidding question

The winning bid was 3000.

Concerned about the $2700 to 3,000 jump.

Ok, the auction just ended, and it is showing a winning bid of 3000.
How can the winner be 3000, if no one ever even bid 2800, or 2900 ?

As you know, the bidders high bid does not show until someone bumps it up from below.
For example, if the bidding was at 1000, and I bid 5000, the current bid would appear as 1050.
Then when someone bid, say 1750, my auto bid would jump to 1800, and that is what would be posted as the high bid.

Just don't get how the bidding jumped 300 when the bidding increment was 50.



Ok, here are the automatic bids, which show the same thing.

http://offer.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=180819019248&showauto=true

No way the winning bidder's bid should have jumped any higher than 2750.


Completed listing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...84.m1423.l2649&autorefresh=true#ht_500wt_1182

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: ebay bidding question

I believe I've solved the case.
From here: http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/automatic-bidding.html

"The fine print

In reserve price auctions, if your maximum bid is at least the reserve price, we’ll automatically increase your bid to meet the reserve, and bidding will continue from there."

 

[roscoe]

Re: ebay bidding question

Aha ! Thank you.

I didn't know there was a reserve on the item, it was already at 3000 when I started watching it.

 

[JB]

Re: ebay bidding question

That is not an uncommon move by an auction bidder. . .intimidation. Only the automatic bids are fixed at, as in this example, $300. A bidder may bump it up a chunk just to say to other bidders, "Whatever you may bid, I will outbid you."

 

[mphy98]

Re: ebay bidding question

Fellow wiscionsinite why oh why are you looking at a force outboard??????????? not to high jack your thread. Smoke is correct with reserve auctions. If you bid more that the reserve and no one but you is that high, you are the winner.

 

[roscoe]

Re: ebay bidding question

Fellow wiscionsinite why oh why are you looking at a force outboard??????????? not to high jack your thread. Smoke is correct with reserve auctions. If you bid more that the reserve and no one but you is that high, you are the winner.

Not me.

Just looking to see who had bid up the price on an '89 'liner, with 4 days left in the auction. Curious to see how high it may go.